Abstract

Objective

To understand if attitudes to aging mediate the reciprocal effects of health anxiety and physical functioning among older adults with medical conditions. We examined: (1) if these effects are reciprocal; (2) if attitudes to aging (psychological loss, psychological growth, physical change) play a mediating role in these effects.

Design

A sample of 226 community-dwelling older adults (T1 age range = 65-94, mean age = 73.59, SD = 6.29) reporting at least one chronic medical condition completed two phone interviews across six months.

Main outcome measures

Background measures, health anxiety, physical functioning, and attitudes to aging at T1 and T2.

Results

T2 attitudes to aging served as a mediator controlling for T1 attitudes. There was a direct effect of worse physical functioning at T1 on increased health anxieties at T2. Negative (but not positive) attitudes to aging mediated that effect. The reversed temporal sequencing (T1 health anxiety leading to T2 physical functioning) was significant only when mediated by negative attitudes to aging.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that viewing aging as mostly a time of losses (but not as a time of gains) serves as an important mechanism through which health anxieties and physical functioning affect each other among older adults having chronic medical conditions.

中文翻译：

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对衰老的态度调节健康焦虑和身体机能的相互影响

摘要

客观的

了解对老龄化的态度是否会调节患有疾病的老年人的健康焦虑和身体机能的相互影响。我们检查了：(1) 如果这些影响是相互的；(2) 对衰老的态度(心理损失、心理成长、身体变化)是否在这些影响中起中介作用。

设计

226 名居住在社区的老年人（T1 年龄范围 = 65-94，平均年龄 = 73.59，SD  = 6.29）的样本报告了至少一种慢性疾病，他们在六个月内完成了两次电话采访。

主要观察指标

T1 和 T2 时的背景测量、健康焦虑、身体机能和对衰老的态度。

结果

T2 对衰老的态度作为控制 T1 态度的中介。T1 时较差的身体机能对 T2 时健康焦虑的增加有直接影响。对衰老的消极（但不是积极）态度介导了这种影响。反向时间顺序（T1 健康焦虑导致 T2 身体机能）仅在对衰老的消极态度介导时才显着。

结论

研究结果表明，将衰老主要视为损失的时间（而不是获得的时间）是一种重要机制，在患有慢性疾病的老年人中，健康焦虑和身体机能通过这种机制相互影响。